Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR) is an orphan nuclear receptor initially identified from a rat liver cDNA library (B M. Forman, et al., Cell, 1995, 81(5), 687-693) that is most closely related to the insect ecdysone receptor. FXR is a member of the nuclear receptor family of ligand-activated transcription factors that includes receptors for the steroid, retinoid, and thyroid hormones (D J. Mangelsdorf, et al., Cell, 1995, 83(6), 841-850). The relevant physiological ligands of FXR are bile acids (D. Parks et al., Science, 1999, 284(5418), 1362-1365). The most potent one is chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), which regulates the expression of several genes that participate in bile acid homeostasis. Farnesol and derivatives, together called farnesoids, are originally described to activate the rat orthologue at high concentration but they do not activate the human or mouse receptor. FXR is expressed in the liver, throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract including the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, small intestine, colon, ovary, adrenal gland and kidney. Beyond controlling intracellular gene expression, FXR seems to be also involved in paracrine and endocrine signaling by upregulating the expression of the cytokine Fibroblast Growth Factor (J. Holt et al., Genes Dev., 2003, 17(13), 1581-1591; T. Inagaki et al., Cell Metab., 2005, 2(4), 217-225).
Small molecule compounds which act as FXR modulators have been disclosed in the following publications: WO 2000/037077, WO 2002/072598, WO 2003/015771, WO 2003/099821, WO 2004/00752, WO 2004/048349, WO 2005/009387, WO 2005/082925, US 2005/0054634, WO 2007/052843, WO 2007/070796, WO 2007/076260, WO 2007/092751, WO 2007/095174, WO 2007/140174, WO 2007/140183, US 2007/0142340, WO 2008/000643, WO 2008/002573, WO 2008/025539, WO 2008/025540, WO 2008/051942, WO 2008/073825, WO 2008/157270, US 2008/0299118, US 2008/0300235, WO 2009/005998, WO 2009/012125, WO 2009/027264, WO 2009/062874, WO 2009/127321, WO 2009/149795, US 2009/0131409, US 2009/0137554, US 2009/0163474, US 2009/0163552, US 2009/0215748, WO 2010/043513, WO 2011/020615, WO 2011/117163, WO 2012/087519, WO 2012/087520, WO 2012/087521, WO 2013/007387, WO 2013/037482, WO 2013/166176, WO 2013/192097, WO 2014/184271, US 2014/0186438, US 2014/0187633, and WO 2015/017813. Further small molecule FXR modulators have been recently reviewed (R. C. Buijsman, et al., Curr. Med. Chem. 2005, 12(9), 1017-1075; Crawley, M. L. Expert Opin. Ther. Patents 2010, 20(8), 1047-1057; V. Sepe, et al., Expert Opin. Ther. Patents 2015, 25(8), 885-896.
There is a need for the development of FXR modulators for the treatment and prevention of disease.